The Caribbean

Colonization of the island began in 1511, when the Spanish soldier Diego Velázquez established the town of Baracoa. Velázquez subsequently founded several other settlements, including Santiago de Cuba in 1514 and Havana in 1515. The Spanish transformed Cuba into a supply base for their expeditions to Mexico and Florida. As a result of savage treatment and exploitation, the aborigines became, by the middle of the 16th century, nearly extinct, forcing the colonists to depend on imported black slaves for the operation of the mines and plantations. Despite frequent raids by buccaneers and naval units of rival and enemy powers, the island prospered throughout the 16th and 17th centuries.

The fact is neither article can be taken as complete truth. In fact, although Cliff uses history in her novel, I believe the account of history from someone who has completely accessed the interior of a place, is always going to be biased. Likewise, Mintz and Benítez-Rojo in making their hypotheses, are lacking an insider’s view. It is the difference between a Caribbean person and Caribbeanist, respectively. Therefore, while on a logical level, an analytical level, Benítez-Rojo and Mintz’s, conclusions as to Caribbean identity could rightly be accepted, these two authors do not possess the experience and intensity to make me as a reader, convinced of their conclusions.

People tends to only focus on the bright side of the Columbus¡¯s great discover of the new land and colonization of the European countries and can easily forget about the destruction and the damages of the lives of native countries. who were the first Caribbean long before the Columbus¡¯s discovery, were almost wiped out by the cruel invasion of the European countries along with their cultures and their languages. The Europeans seized Caribbean but when they need the slaves for the sugar industries, they were brought from all different parts of Africa as a human cargo. Among the slaves, they had many cultural differences as well as languages themselves because they were brought from different regions of Africa. When slavery was abandoned throughout the Caribbean in mid-nineteenth century, the economic and political structure that controlled the island remained.

Two distinct Maroon societies emerged in Jamaica, both having their own system of leadership and ways of dealing with outside settlements. While the fact remains that both these factions came from the same background of slavery, their differences are both interesting and varied and deserving of a closer look. The earliest Maroons were remnants of the Spanish slaves that were not exported from the island after the defeat and subsequent occupation ... ... middle of paper ... ...t the physical well –being of slaves. If they die, new ones are simply brought in to replace them. The final condition is that of a lack of cohesion among the white ruling class due to a lack of white female presence.

Professor Jean Besson MA, PhD a British published author of Caribbean cultural history research, reveals the neglect, by historians and anthropologists, that can be attributed to the European handbook of primitive untouched societies and methodology. The knowledge gained from examining the diverse views and representations by Caribbean historians vs European historian would aid in future research to establish clear and concise information about written and oral slavery in the Caribbean. Further examination will decide whether the European historians deliberately subdued the voice of the ex-slaves as a form of

Aboriginal groups—the Guanahatabey, Ciboney, and Taíno—inhabited the island but were soon eliminated or died as a result of diseases or the shock of conquest. Thus, the impact of indigenous groups on subsequent Cuban society was limited, and Spanish culture, institutions, language, and religion prevailed” (Nations Online). The new society developed after Spain colonized Cuba in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Cuba remained as a stopping point for the Spanish fleet for the first three centuries after the conquest. A couple of years later, Cuba was turned into a major sugar producer and slaves were in demand.

The Political System Among the many hindrances to sustainable innovation in the Caribbean is the political system (The Westminster model) adopted by Caribbean territories. This model has not demonstrated any hope of sustained innovation, and has not been effective in harnessing cohesiveness in the Caribbean region. Arguably, the disruptive nature of this system is not conducive to long term planning which is essential for innovation. The model has flaws in the dispensation of the administration with respect to continuity of policies which end in one term and continue in the next. Ideas developed under one administration are lost and the new incoming administration does not benefit from that intellectual knowledge due to resistance in acknowledging the work carried out by the previous administration.

This evidence does not make him a valid source of information about the slave trade and leads his audience to question his statements. Olaudah Equiano claims that his sister and him were kidnapped in Africa and brought to the colonies at the

Arawaks were not very well prepared to absorb the impact of the Spanish under Christopher Columbus on May 4, 1494. When an English force of 5,000 men invaded the island in 1655, the Spanish offered little resistance and within a few years abandoned it as a colony. The English then ruled Jamaica uninterrupted for more than 300 years. The British had quite an impact on the economic, political and social development of Jamaica. One important factor here was the slave trade, which took place not only in Africa, but Jamaica as well.

The mentality of humanization upheld in Rasta acted as force of mental liberation. The influence of this ideology upon society around the time of Independence was reflected in politics of the time. At the time of Independence serious historical issues of lack of representation of the black majority were articulated in the words and works of Rastafarians and their liberating ideology. Colonialism in Jamaica established a lasting social and economic hierarchy that benefited the white minority at the expense of the black majority. The colonization of Jamaica began with the Spanish occupation of the island in the early 1500’s.